hairston630

Just from observing the forums in the last week or so, ive been seeing waves of difficulties that users have been facing in regards to their 4870x2. I have decided to present an easy to read guide that could be expanded upon as new updates and fixes become available to the public. While this initial thread post of this guide isnt the fix all of your 4870x2 issues, I do, however, believe this guide will help (if not now, hopefully in the future as updates become available) those that are facing problems and could very solve those issues. That is my goal in creating this guide. I have compiled this into a check list type of guide in order to give assurance, assistance, and relief to those that are having some difficulties with their cards and dont have the time to research a thousand links extensively just to fix one problem.


First off, before we get into the ati drivers, we should make sure that your system is up to date. You should make sure your motherboard drivers and bios as well as windows updates are up to date.

*Please read before updating your bios!!!!*

I would only recommend updating your bios if your noticing system instabilities or performance related issues, otherwise if your bios appears to be working properly you may want to reconsider updating your bios unless necessary because you run the risk of ruining your motherboard...However, updating your motherboard driver doesnt cause as much of a threat, so feel free to update those.

Now to the Ati related steps:

DOWNLOAD LATEST DRIVERS: Here


Before installing your drivers you need to make sure that your previous drivers are removed completely from your system. Do not install drivers over your existing as they can cause conflicts down the road.


*note* If you have difficulties with installing downloaded drivers you may consider redownloading them as they could be corrupt and cause issues.


Uninstalling drivers and using driver cleaner pro


First, download Driver Cleaner Pro or Driver Sweeper


Next, Go to "my computer" and select device manager. Click on your display adapter to drop down the driver name then right click on it and select uninstall.


*note* if you are wanting CCC uninstalled (that is if you have it) then go to control panel/uninstall a program/right click on ATI INSTALL MANAGER and allow the system to uninstall it.


Once that has been complete you want to restart your pc and go into safe mode (pressing f8 during boot). After you have entered safe mode you want to run Driver cleaner pro or driver sweeper. Some recommend doing this step twice but I feel that its a little OCD but it never hurts to run it twice if it makes it feel "cleaner".


Restart your pc and once the hardware wizard tries to locate the new hardware, you want to cancel it to avoid allowing it to find it. Now all you have to do is install your drivers and CCC and you should have a clean install of fresh drivers.


*note* While I hear that people are getting good results with the original disc drivers atm, I have found that I get the same stability with the latest drivers (8.9 as of today).

I recommend using the latest drivers unless they happen to cause some detrimental issues to the performance or stability of your 4870x2, otherwise, install the drivers on the disc until newer drivers are released.


DRIVER ERRORS AND INSTALLATION PROBLEMS


Its apparent that most of the performance related issues with the 4870 x2 are driver related as opposed to faulty hardware or incompatibilities (though this is sometimes the case as well). Thats the price we pay for buying cutting edge hardware.


Here are some common errors ive came across with installing this card


driver install: the inf file was not found ATI


If you come across this issue the best way to resolve it is to install the driver through the device manager (after you have completely removed the ati related files) According to the drivercleaner help file this error is caused by windows setting the display adapter to VGA instead of PCI, and that you need to change that back before installing the driver. Allegedly you should update the Standard IDE driver pointing to the IDE driver in the Catalyst directory.

Another link on driver malfunction Here


HARDWARE INCOMPATIBILITIES

Some people have been having issues with older motherboards and last generation PCIE slots. Some have stated that if they have a PCIE 1.1 motherboard and they move it to a PCIE 2.0 motherboard that it doubles their performance and the card functions properly as it should. Windows can even display that the card is operating using both gpu's while in fact only 1 is being stressed (or used).

Here is a thread discussing this issue more in depth PCIE 1.1 AND 2.0

I also wanted to point out some things about the CCC as ive noticed many people have been having issues using the software in game.


USING THE CCC SOFTWARE

Here is a very comprehensive guide to using the CCC SETTINGS. I recommend this guide to ANYONE using the CCC as it provides a plethora of valuable and useful information. ATI CATALYST GUIDE

A great alternative to the CCC is ATI TRAY TOOLS. This program works similar to CCC.

*Note* Vista users may need to download software that bypasses the driver signing by windows.

ATI tray tools can be found Here


CCC ERRORS AND MALFUNCTION

You want to make sure that you have .NET Framework installed with your operating system as it will cause your CCC to be disfunctional if this critical software is not installed.

I will post a quote in regards to Microsoft.NET framework and the role it plays in CCC:

Source



*Updated 09/26/2008* Fix discovered by "Satcom"


ERROR: Faulting application InstallManagerApp.exe

If your getting this error, follow the instructions in quotes below:

Source 1 Source 2


Ive also located another system error that users are experiencing:


Error: Faulting application/ faulting module ntdll.dll (Cx0000005 error)

If your getting this error, its very possible that you could have a system instability issue. If you notice that your programs are stopping and your event viewer displays this in the error message field, then its very possible that either your ram, usb, fsb, or processor settings are incorrect or unstable. To fix this, simply note your bios settings (your overclock, timings, etc) and reset to default long enough to test the programs to verify that they are not closing anymore. If this resolves the issue, simply tweak your bios to a more stable setting (overclock, timing, setting, etc).

Link


FAN FIXES

These cards can run super hot at times so its a vital that you control your heat temps as heat can destroy your performance. Ive posted a couple different types of fan fixes, from manual to permanent so that you can make the decision based on your own personal preferences.

Permanent fan fix/Ati tray tools

Rivatuner

Expertool (Manual fix)

Other considerations regarding hardware and software related problems:

I have heard that if you have an sli board that you can switch the slots and reinstall drivers and that sometimes resolves the performance issue. I did in fact try this out on my 780i sli board but it didnt appear to make a difference (performed worse I think). It could be that some boards have different lane capacities.

This is about all I have for now but im leaving this thread open for you guys to post updates and fixes as they become available. If you come across other helpful information or updated info that will contribute to this guide, by all means feel free to post it and I will update it if necessary. Hope this helps!

Hairston

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A one stop guide for your ATI RADEON 4870x2